Flashback: FBI Tracking 100 Suspected Extremists In Military

A shooting has been confirmed and the perpetrator(s) could still be at large at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas, say local reports. The base is currently on lock down and personnel have been told to take shelter. Fox News recently reported the FBI and the military were hunting for an ex-Army recruit who was plotting a ‘Ft. Hood-inspired jihad’ similar to Major Nidal Hasan’s murderous rampage on the same Army base in 2009. Hasan was sentenced to death last year for his crimes.

It should be noted the FBI revealed in June of 2012 that it is tracking 100 suspected “extremists” in the military. NPR reported:

Officials define that as a case requiring a formal investigation to gather information against suspects who appear to have demonstrated a strong intent to attack military targets. This is the first time the figures have been publicly disclosed.

The FBI and Department of Defense call these cases “insider threats.” They include not just active and reserve military personnel but also individuals who have access to military facilities such as contractors and close family members with dependent ID cards.

Officials would not provide details about the cases and the FBI would not confirm the numbers, but they did say that cases seen as serious could include, among others things, suspects who seem to be planning an attack or were in touch with “dangerous individuals” who were goading them to attack.

Fort Hood, among other military bases, has become a prime target for terror attacks. In May of 2012, NPR reported, “an AWOL Muslim soldier named Naser Abdo was convicted of plotting to attack Fort Hood. Officers found components for an explosive device in Abdo’s hotel room not far from the base.”